Work Smarter, Not Harder Using AI in Social Media Management

Season Two | Episode EIGHTEEN

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AI is everywhere right now, and if you work in social media or digital marketing, you’ve probably wondered how to use it without sounding generic, off-brand, or robotic. In this episode of Dose of Social, Lindsay Mauch and Kayla Perlstein dive into what AI actually means for social media marketers and business owners, and how to use it as a tool rather than a crutch.

AI, or artificial intelligence, refers to technology that helps automate tasks, generate ideas, and improve efficiency. In social media, that can look like caption writing, content ideation, image generation, analytics recommendations, business planning, and even email drafting. Really, the sky is the limit. But AI isn’t magic, and it isn’t meant to replace strategy or creativity.

How AI Fits Into Social Media Workflows

One of the most common uses of AI in social media marketing is caption writing and ideation. Tools like ChatGPT can be incredibly helpful when you’re hitting creative roadblocks or short on time. That said, AI tends to rely on the same phrases over and over. Words like “elevate,” “thrilled,” and “discover” are dead giveaways that you’ve used an AI prompt and so is the em dash. If you copy and paste AI output directly, it’s usually obvious. Just say no to the “—”

Instead, AI works best as a thought starter. Use it to get ideas flowing, then rewrite the caption to match your brand voice. The more specific your prompt,tone, audience, and goal, the better the result. AI needs to be trained just like a new hire.

Beyond captions, AI can support:

• Business plans and SOPs

• Content calendars and brainstorming

• Email writing (especially for sensitive or difficult responses)

• SWOT analyses and audits

• Hashtag and post structure suggestions

Used well, AI can drastically reduce the time spent staring at a blank screen.

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AI Image Generation: Helpful, But Not Perfect

AI image tools like Ideogram are powerful for ideation, but they’re not production-ready in most cases. They’re great for mood boards, creative inspiration, and visual concepts—but details often give them away. Extra fingers, missing elements, or visuals that don’t match modern settings are common issues. However, this technology is improving every single day.

If you’re using AI-generated images, always review them closely and consider labeling them as AI. Transparency matters, and rules around AI content are continuing to evolve.

Is AI Going to Replace Social Media Jobs?

The reality is this: AI won’t replace marketers. However, marketers who use AI will replace those who don’t. AI helps eliminate busywork so you can focus on strategy, creativity, and connection. It’s not about removing the human element; it’s about protecting it.

When used intentionally, AI allows you to work smarter, respond faster, and spend more time on high-value work both in your business and in your life.

Actionable Takeaways

1. Use AI for ideation, not final drafts: Treat AI as a brainstorming partner, not the voice of your brand.

2. Train your AI with clear prompts: Specify tone, audience, goals, and examples to get better output.

3. Always review AI content before publishing: Especially hashtags, captions, and AI-generated images.

4. Leverage AI beyond social posts: Use it for emails, SOPs, audits, business planning, and analysis.

5. Don’t fear AI. Embrace it strategically: The goal is efficiency, not replacement. AI should support your work, not define it.

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Outsourcing Social Media When to Take the Leap with Emily Winters

Season Two | Episode SEVENTEEN

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In Episode 17 of Dose of Social, Lindsay Mauch and Kayla Perlstein spoke with Emily Winters, owner of Strings for Hope, a for-profit company creating guitar string jewelry while employing and empowering survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, substance use disorder, and addiction.

Strings for Hope isn’t just a jewelry brand. It’s a social enterprise with a powerful purpose. The jewelry is made from used, broken guitar strings, blending sustainability with Nashville’s music culture in a product customers can wear every day. But as Emily shares, the company didn’t start with a polished mission or a formal program. In the beginning, she was literally “a cart girl,” selling pieces on Broadway (Nashville’s iconic strip). Back then, the jewelry wasn’t made by survivors, and the mission wasn’t clearly defined.

That changed when the company needed more hands and partnered with a halfway house. The work became about more than production. It became about people. When the founder decided to step away, Emily asked to take over. She was only 19 at the time.

Looking back, she laughs about how “blissfully unaware” she was about business, marketing, and social media. But she also recognizes that jumping in before she knew everything may have been the reason she did it at all. Over time, she leaned hard into building a real mission-driven business. Today, Strings for Hope operates a year-long workforce development program, with participants becoming certified jewelers over the course of two years. The goal is to provide a sustainable career path or a stepping stone into whatever comes next.

Of course, that kind of mission-driven business comes with complexities such as financial pressure, emotional weight, operational challenges, and partnerships with case managers and facilities. Emily is honest about how long it’s taken to build structure to the business. She took over in 2017 and still feels like she’s “working backwards” sometimes. But she’s also proud of the progress she’s made, especially as the brand has evolved from “cart jewelry” to a legitimate, certified jewelry operation.

That evolution is where social media became crucial.

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Emily shares that Instagram is their primary platform now, with over 8,000 followers, and she reframes what success looks like: social media isn’t only about immediate revenue. For her, it’s about brand presence and showing customers that the business has grown, the product has changed, and the mission is real. In a tourist-heavy city like Nashville, where people discover brands quickly and often digitally, social media helps bridge that gap.

The conversation also gets real about what it’s like to work with a social media manager. Emily describes being a busy CEO who doesn’t always answer texts (relatable), and Kayla emphasizes a key truth: social media managers aren’t mind readers. Collaboration works best with clear feedback, a strong communication loop, and patience because brand voice doesn’t get “nailed” overnight. Emily adds a refreshing perspective: hiring support requires trust, vulnerability, and a willingness to loosen control, but it can also be the difference between burning out and scaling sustainably.

Actionable Takeaways

1. Reframe social media as brand-building, not just revenue. Organic social can elevate credibility, clarify your evolution, and build long-term trust—even when sales aren’t instant.

2. Define your content “buckets” (pillars) before you post. If you have multiple angles (mission, product, sustainability, behind-the-scenes), structure keeps your content consistent and less chaotic.

3. Expect collaboration—not outsourcing. Hiring a social media manager still requires your input: updates, context, approvals, and feedback are part of the process.

4. Commit for 3–6 months minimum. One month isn’t enough time to establish rhythm, refine brand voice, test content, and measure meaningful progress.

5. Get brand guidelines—but don’t let perfection delay action. If you don’t have them yet, start anyway—just know it may extend your timeline while you build that foundation.

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Marketing & Social Media Talent How to Hire and Get Hired Like A Pro with Krissy Manzano

Season Two | Episode SIXTEEN

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In episode 16 of the Dose of Social podcast, Lindsay Mauch and Kayla Perlstein sit down with Krissy Manzano, co-founder of Blueprint Expansion, to talk about what actually makes a strong marketing or social media hire for small businesses and brands.

Krissy’s path to recruiting is anything but traditional. She started as a sales leader in SaaS startups and admits she once despised recruiters until she found herself running a recruiting firm five years later. After leading explosive growth at a startup (including building a Nashville office from one person to 100+ employees), she got a real taste of entrepreneurship. That experience, combined with becoming a new mom and pushing back on the limitations people often place on working women, fueled her decision to build a business on her own terms: strong outcomes, strong boundaries, and real work-life balance.

Today, Krissy’s team at Blueprint Expansion specializes in recruiting for sales, marketing, and customer success roles and she’s learned just how specialized marketing has become. She even joked that she owes marketers an apology, because the “natural tension” between sales and marketing often comes from a misunderstanding of how complex and nuanced marketing roles really are.

So what should small business owners do before hiring a social media manager?

Krissy’s answer is simple: start by identifying what your goals and needs are for this role. Many founders rush to hire without clarity. If your goal is lead generation, for example, hiring a social media manager alone may not solve that—because social media isn’t built primarily for direct lead gen. The role you hire should match the outcomes you want.

Krissy also emphasized something many small businesses overlook: you must be ready to hire. That means you have the time (and commitment) to onboard, train, and set clear expectations. Being “small” isn’t an excuse to skip structure. If you hire, onboarding becomes mission critical. Do you have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place? If not, you better get working on them.

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When it comes to attracting better candidates, Krissy recommends building an Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP) before writing the job description. Most people copy job descriptions from LinkedIn, tweak a few lines, and unintentionally keep themselves in the same candidate funnel as everyone else. An ICP flips that by focusing on the skills, behaviors, and traits that actually predict success.

And for interviewing? Krissy loves asking candidates to explain real examples: what they owned, what results they delivered, and what they learned. She also shared the STAR method (Situation, Time, Action, Result) to keep answers clear and concise. But her biggest “green flag” is preparedness: candidates should understand your business well enough to explain your value proposition and ask smart follow-up questions. If someone can’t articulate what you do, why would you trust them to represent your brand?

Finally, Krissy confirms what many suspect: companies often check LinkedIn and other social media platforms, sometimes before they even look at a resume. For social media roles especially, your online presence DOES matter.

Actionable Takeaways

1. Define your goals and needs before you hire. Write down the outcomes you want (brand awareness, content consistency, lead gen, etc.) and hire for that, not a vague “fix marketing” role.

2. Build an Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP) first. Identify 3–5 key competencies (skills + behaviors) needed for success, then write your job description from that.

3. Make onboarding non-negotiable. If you don’t have time to train and ramp someone up, you’re not ready to hire yet.

4. Use pre-screen questions to save time. Ask 2–3 questions before scheduling interviews (pay expectations, why this company, quick writing sample) to filter faster.

5. Interview by competency, not “vibes.” Assign specific competencies to each interview step, and add a practical exercise (even for junior roles) to see real skills in action.

You can find Krissy on social media at https://www.instagram.com/bp_gtm/

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Inbox Essentials Email Marketing Tips with Lindsay Mauch

Season Two | Episode FIFTEEN

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Email marketing remains one of the most effective, reliable, and underutilized marketing channels for small businesses and brands. In episode 15 of Dose of Social, Lindsay Mauch breaks down exactly why email marketing matters, how to get started, and what mistakes to avoid if you want your email campaigns to actually drive results for your business.

The biggest reason email marketing is so valuable? It’s an owned channel. Social media platforms change algorithms, features, and sometimes even disappear entirely (RIP MySpace). But your email list? That belongs to you. You have a direct line of communication with your audience without relying on a social media platform that decides who sees your content.

Step One: Start Building Your List

If you’re not actively collecting email addresses, that’s your first move. Even if you’re not ready to send emails yet, start building your list. How can you do this? You can add a signup form to your website, ideally with an incentive like a discount, free resource, or exclusive content. Offline? Collect emails at events, trade shows, or networking opportunities and upload them later (with consent, of course).

What Makes a Great Email?

The best email is the one that converts, but conversion looks different depending on your goal. Are you selling a product, promoting an event, or driving traffic to a blog post?

Regardless of the goal, strong emails share a few traits:

• A compelling subject line that earns an open

• Clear, concise content

• One obvious call to action (CTA)

Avoid rambling. Every email should answer one question for the reader: What do you want me to do next?

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Subject Lines, Length & Engagement

Subject lines should match your brand voice. Emojis can work if your audience likes them. Excessive punctuation, ALL CAPS, and spammy language can often backfire and hurt deliverability.

As for length, less is more. Aim for three to four content blocks max. Infinite scroll emails rarely get read all the way through. Save extra content for your next send.

Strategy Matters More Than Frequency

One of the biggest mistakes brands make is being inconsistent with their email strategy. Sending emails once every few months and then only blasting your list during a sale leads to unsubscribes, low engagement, and deliverability issues.

How can you establish a strong baseline? Aim to email your list at least once per week. Consistency builds trust and keeps your audience warm. Make the effort. We promise it’s worth it. 

Segmentation, Compliance & Automation

Not all subscribers should receive the same message. Segmentation of your list is your friend. You can segment your list based on metrics such as engagement, behavior, or activity like time on site. This helps protect your deliverability and improve results. Email service providers like Klaviyo make it easy to begin segmenting your audience. 

Also critical: compliance. Don’t add people to your list without consent. Ever.

Finally, automation is where email really shines. Welcome flows, Abandoned Cart Emails, Browse Abandonment, and Post-Purchase sequences are some of the basic ecommerce email flows that work in the background and can generate significant revenue over time, often paying for themselves many times over.

Email marketing isn’t just another box to check. When done right, it can become one of the most profitable marketing channels for your business.

Actionable Takeaways

1. Start collecting emails now even if you’re not ready to send campaigns yet.

2. Send emails consistently (weekly minimum) to keep your audience engaged and warm.

3. Use one clear CTA per email so readers know exactly what to do next.

4. Segment your list to protect deliverability and improve performance.

5. Invest in automations early. Welcome flows and Abandoned Cart emails can drive meaningful revenue on autopilot.

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Effective Time Management and Organization Strategies with Kayla Perlstein

Season Two | Episode Fourteen

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If you’ve ever wondered how Social Media Managers juggle a million moving parts—content calendars, approvals, deadlines, analytics, client messages, and the occasional “fire drill”—this episode of Dose of Social delivers a real behind-the-scenes look.

On Dose of Social Day 3, Lindsay Mauck sits down with co-host Kayla Perlstein to unpack what it actually takes to manage 23+ clients, keep projects moving, and stay sane while working in a job that often requires an “always on” mindset.

Kayla’s story is also a great reminder that you don’t need a perfectly linear career path to build a successful business. She didn’t go to school for social media—she taught herself, started freelancing, landed big clients early, and officially formed a business to protect herself. From there, it snowballed into the thriving, multi-client operation it is today.

The Real Secret: Systems Over Hustle

Kayla is the first to say her success isn’t just personal discipline—it’s systems + team + structure. She’s highly organized (color-coded everything), but she also leans on tools that reduce mental load and prevent things from slipping through the cracks.

Her core stack:

• A physical planner (old school, but effective)

• Calendar + reminders on her phone (nothing gets missed)

• monday.com for team task management and automations

• Google Drive for client organization, assets, content calendars, and reporting

The way they structure Drive is especially useful for any business working with contractors, agencies, or a team: each client has folders for brand elements (logos/photos), monthly content, calendars, and contracts/docs—so anyone can find what they need fast.

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Prioritizing When Everything Feels Urgent

Kayla admits she naturally does everything with a sense of urgency—great for responsiveness, but something she has to manage so she doesn’t treat everything like a five-alarm fire.

Her guardrails:

• Content calendars are planned one month in advance

• Clients are told: last-minute requests are possible, but require a 48-hour turnaround

• If true urgency hits (a PR issue, negative comments, trolls), the team can pause planned work and handle it

Work-Life Balance When You’re Always Online

A standout moment was Kayla describing Thanksgiving with a client crisis—getting up from the table every 20 minutes to hide negative Facebook comments. It’s real life for social media managers.

Her solution isn’t perfection—it’s boundaries and backup plans:

• Do something for yourself every day (even 10 minutes)

• Workouts are her sanity reset

• “Date nights with myself” to decompress

• Time-blocking to work on the business, not just in it

Feedback and Revisions Without Losing Momentum

Kayla’s hot take: more feedback is better—especially when it’s detailed upfront. Vague feedback creates endless revision cycles and kills timelines. Specific feedback helps the team nail it faster and align future work more accurately.

Actionable Takeaways

1. Build a “can’t-fail” capture system.
   Write tasks down and add them to a calendar. Don’t rely on memory.

2. Use one project management tool and commit to it.
   monday.com, Asana, or Trello—pick one and set up due dates + automations.

3. Organize client assets like a library.
   Create folders for Elements, Monthly Content, Calendars, Contracts/Docs, and Reports.

4. Set turnaround expectations during onboarding.
   Kayla’s 48-hour policy is a great model for preventing constant last-minute chaos.

5. Protect your energy with time blocks and daily “you time.”
   If you don’t schedule time to work on your business (and yourself), client work will take it all.

Whether you’re a social media manager or a business owner managing your own content, Kayla’s approach proves that growth comes from structure—not just hustle.

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How To Grow Your Small Business: Revenue Tip with Matt Franklin

Season Two | Episode Thirteen

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On Episode 13 of Dose of Social, Lindsay Mauch and Kayla Perlstein welcomed Matt Franklin, a revenue operations leader who helps small business owners connect the dots between passion and performance. The conversation was a reminder that growth isn’t just about posting more, launching more, or spending more. It’s about getting crystal clear on outcomes, understanding what drives revenue, and tracking what’s actually working.

Matt’s story starts in inside sales, where he learned a lesson many business owners can relate to: effort doesn’t always equal efficiency. By analyzing partner channels, he realized he could hit quota with one strategic call instead of fifty. That “work smarter” moment became the foundation of his approach today and how he is helping businesses use numbers to make better decisions, faster.

Start With the Outcome (Then Work Backward)

One of Matt’s most practical frameworks was his simple revenue math example:
“I want to make $1,000. I sell widgets for $10. I need to sell 100 widgets.”

It sounds obvious, but most businesses skip this clarity. They jump straight to tactics: ads, content, email, partnerships without confirming the core inputs: who the customer is, what value they’re buying, and what makes them willing to pay.

For more established brands, Matt starts with a bigger question: What’s your aspirational target? One year from now. Three years from now. Are you aiming for 30% growth? Doubling? Going from $2M to $5M? Once the goal is defined, you can map how you’ll get there: core revenue vs. new products, timelines, budget, and where your team’s time is going.

Marketing’s Role: The Growth Launchpad

Matt also shared a helpful way to think about marketing through a revenue lens. Marketing builds credibility and awareness, identifies who you should be talking to (and when), and creates signals that someone is ready to buy. In the best-case scenario, marketing becomes a “digital sales avenue” that helps prospects move from interested to purchasing with fewer steps.

Lindsay added an important nuance: different marketing channels serve different goals. Organic social often supports brand awareness, while paid media can be easier to quantify (spend X, generate Y). Either way, you need to know what success looks like before you judge ROI.

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Attribution and Tracking: Don’t Fly Blind

A major theme was attribution: simply put, where did this lead or sale come from? Matt warned against analysis paralysis, but emphasized that setup matters. Without tracking (UTMs, GA4, conversion events, CRM connection), you can’t confidently say what’s working. As Lindsay put it: Google Analytics is like “bloodwork for your business.”

Trust, NDAs, and Getting Help Sooner

Finally, Matt encouraged business owners not to overthink getting support. A 30-minute discovery call with the right person can provide clarity, validation, or a needed pivot. If you’re guarded about numbers, a mutual NDA (non-disclosure agreement protecting both parties) can create safety, but you still have to open the books enough to get real value.

Actionable Takeaways

1. Start with a measurable revenue goal. Write the number down, then reverse-engineer the math to reach it.

2. Know your customer and the value you provide.If you can’t clearly explain why someone pays you, your plan will stay fuzzy.

3. Define your growth path: “more of the same” vs. “something new.” Decide what comes from your core offer and what requires new products, channels, or markets.

4. Track attribution before you spend more money. Use GA4, UTMs, and platform reporting so you know what’s driving leads or sales.

5. Don’t wait to get a sounding board. A short conversation with an expert can save months of spinning—and thousands in wasted spend.

Matt’s closing line sums it up perfectly: a goal without a plan is just a dream. Build the plan, measure it, stay accountable, and move fast.

You can find Matt Franklin on social at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcfranklin/

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